Race May Affect Phenotype, Age of Onset, and Severity of Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

The study's findings indicate that race may affect the disease course of NMOSD.

Asian and black American/European patients seropositive for anti-aquaporin-4 antibody neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) are more likely to be younger at time of disease onset and have brainstem involvement during their disease course, according to retrospective review results published in Neurology.

Patients with anti-aquaporin-4 antibody-seropositive NMOSD who were followed at centers in Denmark, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Thailand were included in the review. The demographics of the cohort included Asian (n=304), white (n=207), and black American/European (n=92) patients. At last follow-up, the median disease duration in the entire cohort was 8 (range, 0.3-38.4) years.

Limitations of this study included its lack of a population-based design and the reliance on self-reporting for identifying racial background.

Findings from this review may help improve understanding of racial differences in NMOSD that “may yield important insight into NMOSD pathogenesis, improve early diagnosis, and help in identifying the best treatment strategy, tailored to the needs of individual target populations.”